The temple's full name is Butsuzan Jogū Koin Bodaiji (仏頭山上宮皇院菩提寺).The name "Tachibana-dera" comes from a legend that a sapling of the tachibana fruit of immortality that Tajimamori brought back the from the magical land of Tokoyo no kuni during the reign of Emperor Suinin was planted at this location.The precincts of the temple have been protected as a designated a National Historic Site since 1966.

Historically, the founding date of the temple is uncertain, but the first documented reference to it is in the "Nihon Shoki", in the entry for April of the 9th year of Emperor Tenmu's reign (680), which states, "A fire broke out in the nunnery of Tachibana-dera, burning ten rooms."

[citation needed] In the 8th century, Tachibana-dera flourished with 66 buildings under the patronage of the imperial family and aristocracy, but in 1148 during the late Heian period, the five-story pagoda was burned down by lightning.

The temple never regained its former prosperity, dwindling down to a small chapel, and surviving largely due to its association with Prince Shōtoku.

[citation needed] Media related to Tachibanadera at Wikimedia Commons This article about a Japanese religious building or structure is a stub.